Holiday Attire Survival Guide

Kayaker Rescued From Haw River After Spending Night in Tree

PITTSBORO – State Highway Patrol rescued a man trapped in a tree in the Haw River early Friday morning after he was stranded there since Thursday night.

The kayaker, Samuel Gilliham of Raleigh, was reported uninjured by police and firefighters who rescued him. Gilliham was spotted by rescuers Thursday night, but because of rising fog, they had suspend their efforts until 7:30 a.m. the next day, when Gilliham was rescued.

Gilliham is not the first to be rescued from the Haw River’s flood-swollen currents. Earlier Thursday, two rafters were stranded on rocks in the river, one of whom had to be rescued by boat. The rafters became stranded after they fell off of the river’s dam, falling eight feet into the waters below.

Near the stretch of river where Gilliham was rescued, a U.S. Geological Survey gauge estimated the water to have been moving at about 117 cubic meters per second, as opposed to the river’s average 20 cubic meters per second.

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